Elevator switch-operating and door-closing apparatus



jan, 13, 1925.

c. F. QUICK l522908 ELEVATOB SWITCH OPERATING AND DOOR CLOSING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 10, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet l atto: nav) Jan. 13, 1925. 1,522,908

c. F. QUICK ELEVATOR SWITCH OPERATNG AND DOOR CLOSING APPARATUS Fi1ed DeG 10, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 13, 1925.

F. QUICK .ELvAToR `sw1frcu oPnATmG' AND Doon cLosnls APPARATUS Filed Dec. 10, 1923 4 sheets- Sheet 3 Jin, 13, 192.5. 1,522,908

C. F. QUICK ELEVATOR SWITCH OPERATING AND DOOR CLOSING APPARATUS Filed Deo. 10, 1923 4 Sheets-$heet 4- 4 l J7; f 7 y Patented `lan. 13, 1925.

@ANTE CHARLES F. QUICK,

OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

' ELEVATOR SWITCH-OPERATING AND DOOR-CLOSING APPARATUS.

Application filed December 10, 1923.

T all whom t may concer/n Be it known that I, CHARLES F. QUICK, citizen of the United States of America, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevator Switch-Operating and Door-Closing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in elevator switch operating and door closing apparatus.

The object of the invention is to provide an electric switch arranged to be operated to break the circuit when the door is opened, in combination with means for automatically closing and locking the'door and operating the switch to close the circuit.

A further object is to arrange the parts so that upon opening the door, even a. short distance, the car circuit will be broken, making it impossible to move the car irrespective of what floor or position the car occupies.

Another object is' to provide an automatic door closing means acting conjunctively with the switch and arranged so that the operator must hold the door when the latter is opened, said means closing and locking the door when the latter is released by the operator.

A still further object of the invention is to provide locking means for holding the door in a closed or nearly closed position, operable only from the floor landing.

Another object of the invention is to provide certain improvements in the structure disclosed in my Letters Patent No. 1,491,245, issued April 22, 1924, whereby a more positive action is had and greater simplicity and efliciency is obtained. Y

A particular object of the invention is to provide means for automatically operating the switch to open the car circuit in case the flexible connection which controls the switch operating means and the door closing devices, should break.

An important object is to provide sections in the flexible connections which are acted Aupon by the door closing means, which connections are designed to withstand wear and are less likely to break than the flexible connection if used at these locations.

A further object is to provide means for placing the flexible connection under an in- Serial No. 679,616.

creased tension when a door is opened, whereby said door is automatically closed when released, together with means for assisting the tension means in the closing of the door.

Another object is to provide a check in connection with the door closing means for cushioning the closing of the door.

Still another object is to provide an emergency switch in each car for closing the car circuit in case the switch controlled by the flexible connection fails to work or the connection breaks or any other emergency arises.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinater described together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more `readily understood from a reading of the following specitication and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an elevator sha-ft and pent house in which is located an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the door closing means, showing the door closed,

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the door open,

Fig. 4 is a detail of the beam ing the flexible connection and ating means,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged front eleva-tion of the switch and its operating means,

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same,

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the same,

Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross-section on the line 8--8 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 9 is a diagram of the electric circuit.

ln the drawings the numeral 10 designates the lower door sill of an elevator shaft, which shaft may extend up past any number of floor landings, each of which has a door 11. At the upper end of the shaft is the usual pent house 12. To the ceiling of the pent house is attached a hanger 13 (Fig. 4) which has a beam 14 centrally pivoted thereto. One end of the beam over-hangs the shaft and has pivoted thereto, a link 15 supporting the upper end of a coiled spring 16, which carries a link 17 at its lower end attached to the upper end of a steel tape 18. The tape constitutes a flexible connection which may assume any satisfactory form.

for supportswitch oper- At its lower end the tape is fastened to a bracket 19 mounted on the sill l0 or other suitable location.

The tape extends vertically in the shalt and at each floor landing includes a wear section composed of a sprocket chain 20 or other suitable element. The tape and chains are suitably connected so as to take up the slack and to make replacements. At each tloor landing is a sill l0 on which is Yl'astened a bracket 2l. The lower end of a door closing arm 22 is pivoted in each bracket (Figs. 2 and 3). The arm is bent at an angle and in its normal position (Fig. 2). has its upper portion inclined slightly above a horizontal line. At the bend ot the arm is mounted a sprocket wheel 23 having a guard 23, while a second sprocket wheel 24 is mounted below the wheel 23, just above the bracket 2l and has a guard 2d. The sprocket chain 20 at each landing is threaded through the guards on opposite sides ot' the wheels,

so that when the door ll is closed (Fig. 2)

the chain will be nearly perpendicular, but when the door is opened (Fig. 3) the wheel 23 will be swung over the wheel 2d, whereby the chain above the wheel 24e is pulled down ward and the switch operated as hereinafter described.

1 have illustrated a double door, but any style of door may be used in connection with the invention. In the double door the front section is movable in advance ot the rear section, but it is considered unnecessary to describe these details as such doors are in common use. On the rear edge of the Yfront door section is mounted aV vertical track 25 over which is fixed a guard 2G for confining a guide wheel 27 on the track, which may be grooved for the same. The wheel supports the upper end ci' the arm and normally rests at the bottom of the guard.

On the tront door section is mounted a vertical latch plate 28 contiguous to the track and an elongated vertical latch bar 29 is pivotedthereon at 80. Above its pivot point the bar has a hand grip 3l and above the grip has a transverse slot 32 receiving a stud 33 on the plate-28. The greater p0rtion ot the bar hangs below the pivotL at the lower end and has a transverse slot 34 receiving a stud 35 on said plate, studs being offset on opposite sides of the vert-i lal axis of the latch bar, whereby the bar may be swung a limited distance. 0n its rear edge the bar 29 has downwardly directed ratchet teeth 36 and the adjacent end 37 ot the arm 22 is beveled to slide down and engage under said teeth, wherebyv the arm is Jfastened against upward movement by the bar, but is self-latching. By moving the latch bar 29 so as to swing the teeth 36 away from the end 37 o't' the arm 22, the latter may be swung upwardly. The dooiI is locked until the latch bar is swung and even it the door should not be fully closed, the end 37 of the arm would engage under the upper teeth 36 and prevent further opening of the door from the licor landing. l

lVhen the door is opened by the operator of the car (not shown) the wheel 27 will be displaced upwardly on the track 25 within the guard 2G. An air .cushion cylinder 38 ot' suit-able construction is fastened to the rear edge ot the rear door section and has a vertical plunger 39 attached to a slide L11 confined to a vertical movement in a keeper Ll2, also mounted on said door. The slide is attached to the arm 22 by a bolt 43, as is shown in Fig. 8. The upward displacement ot the wheel 27 swings the arm 22 upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in .liig 3, whereby the plunger 39 is pulled upwardly and the sprocket wheels and 24e displaced as previously described. The operator must hold the door in its open position and when it is released the arm being` under tension, as hereinafter described, will exert a downward pressure on the wheel 27, whereby the door will be closed as the arm swings downward. As the arm swings downward the plunger is forced downv into the cylinder 38 and as the closing movement advances the resistance offered by the air cushion cylinder increases, so that the closing movement is checked suliiciently to prevent slamming of the doors.

Referring again to Fig. el it will be seen that the beam 14 is provided with alink 44 depending from its end overhanging the floor of the pent house as is shown in Fig. l. A tape section 45 depending from the link has its lower end connected with the upper eye ot a turn-buckle d6. A vertical slide bar 47 (Figs. 5 and 6) has its upper end connected with the lower eye ot the turnbuckle. This slide bar is mounted in brackets 48 extending laterally from a pedestal L9 suitably mounted on the floor of the pent house. A weight bar 50 is mounted on the side of the slide bar, and has a hanger l on its rear side supporting the upper end of a coiled spring (Fig. 6) which has its lower end attached to a bracket 53 extending from the pedestal 49. It will be seen that the spring resists vertical movement of the slide bar, whereby said spring is placed under tension by a pull on the tape 1S, and acts to return the slide bar after the door l1 is closed.

On the top ot the pedestal is mounted a table 5d supporting a switch which is of the swinging door type. such as is shown in my Letters Patent No. 1.406,489 issued Feb. 14th, 1922, and comprises a door 56 having contact (not shown) inside the box for closing the circuit when the door is closed and breaking the circuit when the door 1l is opened. The switch is suitably connected with the controller ot' the elevator track 25, after the initial impulse given by Vthe spring' 72. As the bar 47 is moved downwardly, the arm 59 is swung, whereby the finger GO engages the short or advance arm 57 and closes the switch door 56, thus also closing the car circuit. By this time the bevel end 37 of the arm 22 rides into engagement with the teeth 36 and the plunger 39 is pressed down in the cylinder 38, which cushions the closing movement of the door ll. After the end 37 has engaged the teeth 36 it can not be swung upward until the bar 29 is displaced, therefore the door can not be opened from the floor landing, even if not entirely closed.

There are some conditions where an emergency would demand the closing of the car circuit while the switch door 56 was open and for this purpose I provide an emergency switch 73 one of which may be located in each car. In Fig. 9, I have illustrated an electrical circuit diagram in which A is one side ot the circuit running direct to the car switch C, and B the other side connected to said switch and in which the box 55 is included. A wire I) extends from one pole of the emergency switch 73 to one of the contacts of the box, while a wire E extends to the other circuit. It will be seen that the circuit may be closed by the switch 73 when the door 56 is open.

`What I claim, is:

l. In an elevator door closing and switch operating apparatus, the combination with a car switch and a taut flexible connection for operating said switch, of a door closing element having means for actuating said connection, and a door latch engaged by said element for locking an elevator' door and preventing operation of said element.

2. In an elevator door closing and switch operating apparatus, the combination with a car switch and a taut flexible connection for operating said switch, of a door closing element having means for actuating said connection, a door latch engaged by said element for locking an elevator door and preventing operation of said element, and a door check connected with said closing element.

- 3. In an elevator door closing and switch operating apparatus, the combination with a car switch and a taut flexible connection for operating said switch, of a door closing element having meams for actuating said connection, and means for imparting an initial closing movement to the element.

4. In an elevator door closing and switch operating aparatus, the combination with a car switch and a taut flexible connection for operating said switch, of a door closing arm having means for actuating said connection. a swinging door latch having teeth engaged by the arm, a door actuated wheel carried by the arm for swinging the latch, and a guard for conlining said wheel.

5. In an elevator door closing and switch operating apparatus, the combination with a car switch and taut flexible connection for operating said switch, and the sliding doors at al floor landing, of' a door closing arm fulcrumed adjacent said doors, means on the arm for actuating the connection to operate the switch when the arm lis swung, a latch on one of the sliding doors engaged by the arm, a track mounted on said door, a wheel supporting the swinging end of the arm, and a guard mounted on said door for confining the wheel to the track.

(5. In an elevator door closing and switch operating appartus, the combination with a car switch and taut flexible connection for operating said switch, and the sliding doors at a floor landing, means on the arm for actuating the connection to operate the switch when the arm is swung, a latch on one of the sliding doors engaged by the arm, a track mounted on said door, a wheel supporting the swinging end of the arm, a guard mounted on said door for confining the wheel to the track, and an air cushion checking device carried by the other door and connected with the arm.

`7. In an elevator' door closing and switch operating apparatus, the combination with a car switch and taut flexible connection for operating said switch, and the sliding doors at a floor landing, means on the arm for actuating the connection to operate the switch when the arm is swung, a latch on one of the sliding doors engaged by the arm, a track mounted on said door, a wheel supporting the swinging end of the arm, a guard mounted on said door for conlining the wheel to the track, an air cushion checking device carried by the other door and connected with the arm, and a door closing spring normally inactive and connected with the arm, whereby it is placed under tension when the arm is swung and the door opened.

8. As a sub-combination in an elevator door closing and switch operating device, a door closing arm pivoted to swing to close a sliding door, a tension device for swinging said arm normally free from tension and arranged to operate to initially swing said arm, a check resisting the last portion of the swing of the arm, and switch operating flexible connection engaging and actuated by said arm.

9. As a sub-combination in an elevator door closing and switch operating device, a swinging door closing arm for engaging the elevator door and having spaced sprocket wheels thereon, and a switch operating tape including chain sections engaging over said wheels.

l0. In an elevator door closing and switch operating apparatus, the combination of a car circuit switch, means for operating said switch, a door closing device, a movable car. The door has a pair of spaced arms 57 extending therefrom, advance arm being shorter than the arm on the hinged side of thedoor. A guide slot 58 is cut in the table substantially parallel to the front edge of the switch box (Fig. 7) and receives a svi-'inging lever 59 having a reduced linger 60 on its upper end normally standing relatively between the arms 57. Then the door 56 of the switch box is closed the advance arm 57 isout of the path of the finger 60.`

The lever is pivoted at its lower end on a stud bolt 61 on the pedestal 49, whereby a slight movement of the lever about its pivot will swing the finger 60 to engage the arm 57 in its path and open the door 56. A weight 62 is attached to the left side of the lever 59 (Fig. 5) and tends to swing the same to open. the vswitch box door. On the opposite side oi' the lever is mounted an inclinedoverhanging guide rail 63, having a crotch 64 at its lower end receiving a stud 65 onthe slide bar 47. So long as the stud 65 rests in the crotch the lever is held in a perpendicular position (Fig. 5), but when the slide bar is moved vertically the stud 65 will be raised and the weight 62 will swing the lever 59, whereby the switch door 56 will be opened andthe circuit broken.

The weight 62 acts as a counter-balance tending to swing the lever, and to hold the crotch about the stud 65. When the lever is swung-the rail 63 will assume a perpendicular position and the stud may continue to move vertically after the lever has come to rest. However, when the bar is lowered, the stud will be guided into the crotch and the lever swing back to its normal position. A counter balancing weight 66 is mounted on the door 56 so that when the door has been opened to a certain point the said weight will overbalance it and continue the opening movement and conversely the weight will assist in closing said door. When the switch door is swung open the advance arm is swung in behind the finger 60 and stands in advance thereof, for the closing movement.

In order to swing the switch door 56 the lever 59 must be actuated by the tape 18. Should the tape break the slide bar 49 would be pulled downward by the spring 52, whereby the finger 60 of the lever 59 will be swung into engagement with the outstanding lug 67 of a latch 68 pivoted on a support 69v on the table. It the switch door 56 is closed when the tape breaks the upper end of the latch will be swung into the path'ot' said door.

If the tape breaks while the door 56 is open, which is more likely because of the strain on the tape at this time, the latch will be swung in `behind the door, thus prevent ing closing of the same .and also preventing starting of the car.

l The turnbuckle 46 affords adjustments to care for the stretch of the tapeand to adjust the bar 47 so that the stud`65 holds the lever 59 in the correct position. When a floor landing door 11 is opened the tape 18 is pulled downward by the sprocket wheels 23V and 24 andthe spring 16 besides acting as a connection Vfor swinging the beam 14, would absorb any ordinary elongation of the tape and might be placed under tension with the spring 52 to exert a reverse pull on the tape, 18, to swing the arm 22 and close the doors 11. However, at each floor landing, I provide a standard 69 having a rearwardly directed eyebolt 7 0 at its upper end. A pair of links 71 are connected at one end to a coiled spring 72 which is attached to the arm 22 just above the wheel 23. `When the door is closed (Fig. 2) the links'are folded and the spring relaxed, but as the arm 22 swings upward the links are straightened and the spring 72, is placed under tension by the time'the door is fully opened (Fig. Thus when the door is released the spring 72 imparts the initial closing movement.

In operating theY door 11 the operator grasps the finger grip 31 and swings the Y latch bar 29, whereby the teeth 36 are swung out of the path of the end 37 of the arm 22.V

A continued pull on the grip starts the opening movement of thi-e door 11. `With the initial movementl of the'door the wheel 27 starts up Vthe track 25, whereby .the arm 22 is swung upward. The upward move ment of the arm raises the plunger, 39and displaces the wheel 23 over the wheel 24 which exerts a downward pull on tape 18 through the means of the chain 20. As the doors open the links 71 and spring 72 are tensioned. The operator must hold the door in its open position.

When the tape 18 is pulled downward the beam 14 is swung and the tape section 45, is thus raised. This elevates the slide bar 47 against the tension of the spring 52. The raising of the bar 47 elevates the stud 65 which permits the weight 62 to swing the lever 59 and its linger 60. The swinging finger engages the long arm 57 and swings open the switch box door 56 whereby the car circuit is broken. The box being at an angle and having a door stop 55,`it will be seen that after the door 56 is swung to a certain fposition, the weight 66 will overbalance it and'continue the opening movement of the said door until it is arrested by the stop 55.

The operator holds the door 11 open and until it is closed the car-cannot bemoved. When the door isreleased the lspring 72 exerts a downward pullv onthe arm 22 and the'sprin'g 52 exerts a downward pull on thebar 47 The weight of the arm 22 is sufficient to push the wheel 27 down the support, a flexible connection depending 'from said support having one end portion connected to the door closing device and the other end connected with the switch operating means, and a door latch coacting With the door acting means.

Il. In an elevator door closing and switch operating apparatus, the combination with a plurality of door closing' devices, of a flexible connection operated by said devices, a switch having a movable contact, a Weight impelled arm for operating said movable Contact, and a vertically movable member attached to said flexible connection and having means for normally holding the arm in restraint.

12, In an elevator door closing and switch operating apparatus, the combination with a plurality of door closing devices, of a flexible connection operated by said devices, a switch having a movable contact, a Weight impelled arm for operating said movable contact, a vertically movable bar having means for engaging said arm to hold it against operation and attached to the ilexible connection, a coiled spring attached at one end to the bar and having its opposite end immovable, and a safety latch located to be operated by the arm and for intrusion into the path of the movable contact for preventing operation of the same.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES F. QUICK.I 

